Since the first people in Indonesia have been using medicinal herbs as an alternative treatment of disease or maintain health. Although only armed with non-medical knowledge handed down through ancestors were hereditary, proved to many diseases can be cured only through a simple concoction. Even diseases that have been heavily sentenced by a physician or other medical personnel, it can be cured through alternative medicine healing herbs in a way that is not understood.
Currently, efforts to maximize the utilization of herbal plants native to Indonesia is being encouraged. Various types of plants did not escape from an attempt to maximize the potential that exists. One of these efforts is to produce a substance that can prevent or treat disease. The substance commonly known as the drug contains natural extracts from certain plants that are believed efficacious to cure disease.
Unfortunately, as the process of maximizing the utilization of plants native to Indonesia as a raw material of natural medicine, or often times called herbal medicine, there are some constraints. Dominant constraint is the attitude of indifference of the natural wealth of this nation are entrusted. Exploration activities should be done to continue to seek new kinds of plants that can be utilized as a healer of disease, turned out to be exploitation of medicinal plants that already exist. Worse yet, the exploitation is carried out exceeds the regeneration ability of plants and without any cultivation. As a result, many plants that are endangered or at least was rarely found in the nature of Indonesia, like the pasak bumi or so-called tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia), purwoceng (Pimpinella pruacan), kayu angin (Usnea misaminensis), pulasari (Alyxia reiwardii) and others. It is really alarming.
These circumstances are very different from the situation in developed countries. Today, in developed countries like America, is being aggressively launched a program called biodiversity prospecting, namely the search for biological resources that have potential for the future. Made to promote a program that includes studies of various medicinal plants as a source material in various parts of the world, especially tropical countries, including Indonesia, one of them.
Observing the comparison condition that occurs in Indonesia and the United States, this nation should feel moved to immediately improve the situation. It can be started with the preservation of medicinal plants that are in endangered species, in addition to government efforts as an operational policy makers and implementers who firmly in order to combat the excessive exploitation of medicinal plants.
It is no less important in instilling public awareness of the existence of medicinal plants is the socialization of the use of natural medicines derived from plants. In addition, the formal health-care facility also participated. This is important, because the use of herbal medicines in the formal health services require full support from health providers.
Therefore, the necessary role of all parties to preserve medicinal plants native to Indonesia. Do not get left by the natural wealth of this country is left out eroded by over-exploitation. No need to wait for tomorrow to start the change. Do not just settle for being epigon. It is we who must be a pioneer in protecting the assets of our own nation.